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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, N ov em be r 11 ,2 02 1 | 4 At Village Orthodontics in Oakville, we specialize in beautiful smiles using clear aligners and traditional braces. New Patients Welcome Schedule your complimentary consultation today! 647-496-1424 2-2983 Westoak Trails Blvd. Oakville villageortho.ca Book your Personalized Smile Consultation today 1276 Cornwall Road, Unit C, Oakville Ontario, L6J 7W5 T: 905-845-0767 • F: 905-845-5552 •www.haxelllaw.com • lawyers@haxelllaw.com Personal Professional Service at Competitive Rates Buying? Selling? Re Call us for a quote at 905-845-0767 ext. 223Jameson Glas GOLDGOLD 905-845-0767 ext. 223Jameson Glas stuff. And then after two years, I started to get a little more desperate," recalled Joyce. "He was getting worse and worse. That's when we were having acci- dents all over the house and he was going to hurt him- self after falling down- stairs, stuff like that." Wyndham Manor even- tually rejected her applica- tion due to behavioural is- sues. Oakville has some of the longest wait times for long- term care. For the 2019/2020 fiscal year, the most recent data available, the median wait time for patients to move into long-term care was 202 days for Chartwell Water- ford LTC Residence, 199 days for Wyndham Manor, 242 days at Revera North- ridge, 171 days for Post Inn Village and 203 days for West Oak Village. By comparison, Kitche- ner's Lanark Heights' wait times register at 60 days, with 88 days for Chartwell Westmount LTC Residence and 91 days for Revera For- est Heights. The LTC home with the longest wait time in Kitchener appears to be The Village of Winston Park at 159 days. "Wait times depend on various circumstances and the number of beds," said Melissa Szilagyi of the Mis- sissauga Halton Local Health Integration Net- work. "These circumstanc- es include: type of unit re- quired (secure, non-se- cure), type of bed, the num- ber of individuals with a priority category 1 (crisis) designation," and a host of other considerations. Julie Mitchell, director of recreation and culture for the Town of Oakville, said that, according to the Mississauga Halton LHIN, the percentage of residents 75 years and older in the Halton and Mississauga ar- eas "will increase by 55 per- cent from 2015 to 2025." Having urged the pro- vincial government to ad- dress what he called an "800-bed long-term-care deficit" in his town, Oak- ville Mayor Rob Burton re- cently expressed elation over the announcement that 640 new LTC beds would soon be built in two facilities in Oakville. Executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition Natalie Mehra was deeply critical of the cuts made to long-term care in 2019, and attributed them to wait times in Ontario. However, she also fac- tored in an aging popula- tion, noting "just the sheer numbers of people who are more elderly, and that will just go up." "I think we have failed to plan for the aging popula- tion horrifically in Ontario, and I think we're seeing the consequences of that," Mehra added. Mehra expressed opti- mism about the province meeting the needs of the ag- ing population. However, she warned that it won't happen "with- out a very fundamental change in course." On Oct. 28, the province announced the Providing More Care, Protecting Se- niors, and Building More Beds Act, 2021. If passed, it would re- place the 2007 Long-Term Care Homes Act and allow the minister to decide how many beds are needed in Ontario. STORY BEHIND THE STORY: With Oakville having some of the longest wait times for long-term- care beds, we wanted to see how that's affecting local residents and what's being done to address the issue. NEWS Continued from page 3 Seen here celebrating her husband Glen's 65th birthday this past summer, Joyce Whitelaw is among many who've experienced lengthy wait times for long-term care for their spouse. Joyce Whitelaw photo TOWN TO GET 600-PLUS LTC BEDS SCAN FOR MORE Scan this code for more local news.